Django Unchained - Review

Django Unchained
Dir - Quentin Tarantino
18, 165 mins

If Quentin Tarantino wasn't making movies he'd probably be killing people, so we should all probably be a little grateful that he is actually still making movies. It's become commonplace to fall in love with his films, and then swiftly disregard them as the the exploitative rip-offs that they have become; films that riff off the success of Pulp Fiction. So, in some ways, Django is almost a return to form for the director, even if it still does contain a few of his tedious trademarks that he's developed. No one knows he is a talented director more than Tarantino himself, which is ultimately his main downfall.

     Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first: QT makes an appalling cameo, the film is too long for it's own good and there is still a pungent whiff of his gimmicky narrative technique of flicking here there and everywhere. However when putting that aside one could almost surmise that Tarantino has almost, almost, come of age in this film, as the theme of slavery is treated with a definite seriousness, however cursory. To casual onlookers though, this is still Tarantino being a child behind a camera with a rich dictionary of naughty words and bucket loads of blood.

     What sets this apart from his more recent output is that it has a story, a plot, and it's a welcome return to say the least. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a slave freed by Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who encourages him to become a bounty hunter, and subsequently claim back his wife from Monsieur Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). All three actors do a terrific job, especially DiCaprio, who suits the nutty-yet-dangerous character of Candie to a tee. Samuel L. Jackson is also worth a mention, as the head slave who is at once hilarious and threatening. What really steals the show is Tarantino's script (nominated for an Academy Award) which is very often hilarious; the audience I was with couldn't stop laughing!

     It's the most un-Tarantino Tarantino film in a while, while still being, er, a Tarantino film. The plot twists and turns, the set-pieces are terrific and the violence is deliciously graphic, making this into a highly enjoyable film for fans of the director or otherwise. Go and see it.

 

Les Miserables - Review

A bit slow off the mark, but here it is...

Les Miserables

Dir - Tom Hooper

12A, 158 mins

Nominated for a total of 8 Oscars, it's difficult to not go into this film with ridiculously high expectations. Not only have you got Tom Hooper at the helm, whose previous film 'The King's Speech' swept up the Academy Awards just two years ago, but you've got the likes of Catwoman, Wolverine and Maximus Decimus Meridius belting out the tunes made famous by Susan Boyle. And it's a musical. A musical. How's that going to get an audience? It's just a case of ticking all the right boxes. For the women, could be the best weepy since Titanic; for the lads, well, you may need a little more convincing. But it's certainly safe to say that fans of the stage production will be wholeheartedly satisfied.
     Much like a subtitled film, it takes a little while to get used to the cast singing almost every single line of dialogue, and the film doesn't gradually work it in either. The opening scene is a sweeping long shot of a ship being hauled into harbour by bald and bearded convicts. Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is among them; he stole a loaf of bread which resulted in a 19 year sentence. Javert (Russel Crowe) tells him that his parole has begun, making him a free man. However, when Valjean breaks his parole following a religious redemption, Javert embarks on a life-long mission to capture the elusive Valjean.
     Watching this is like a wave of unsubtle emotion crashing over your face for 158 minutes, but it is somewhat refreshing. In a barren cinematic landscape where 'epic' usually means a lack of character, it's comfortable knowing that Hollywood still know how to make 'em how they used to; load, vast and unashamedly sentimental. However, the constant tear-jerk emotional reactions that the film is constantly trying to provoke, especially in the second act, becomes unintentionally grating. Also, some of the songs become extremely tedious; after all it's only musical theatre, no Bizet. Not only that, but there are times when the second act seems rushed, almost as if you barely know the characters that are meeting their demise.  But that is not to take away from the astonishing raw power of the first half. Anne Hathaway steals the show as Fantine, providing a lump-in-your-throat rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' caked in tears and snot. If she doesn't get the Oscar this year, there is something wrong with the system.
     Overall it's an enjoyable, solidly crafted movie, but it's not the weep-a-minute that so many of us were expecting. The second act doesn't live up to the brilliance of the first half, but nevertheless, it's a useful reminder that musicals are still alive and well. 

Quartet - Review

Quartet
Dir - Dustin Hoffman
12A, 98 mins  

As a 16 year old, it's safe to say that this obviously is not a film which is aimed at me at all, being based in a retirement home for old musicians where cracking jokes about opera is, you know, hilarious.  In fact, the screening I was in was filled with those with white hair. It's not often that I feel out of place at a cinema, but I on this occasion I did.

     Quartet, as you probably know, features a stellar cast of older actors; Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay playing the reunited divorcees with a history; Billy Connolly as a pottering and senile old tenor, cracking double entendres at every opportunity; and Pauline Collins, who in my opinion steals the show, as the ditzy ex-opera singer. What follows is an unashamedly predictable, but nevertheless solidly crafted and amusing drama that wouldn't look out of place on a Sunday afternoon TV slot. Minus the f-words, of course. Yes ,you can see its development from a mile off, and it rarely adresses the more serious and harrowing aspects of old-age as Haneke's 'Amour' did, but it's good natured, well scripted and amusing fun.

     It's all through the typical rose-tinted, Downton-esque portrayal of Britain that we're all accustomed to, but with a cast like that and a gentle, sweet story, it's hard not to be eventually won over by its charm. I had a good time.

The Impossible - Review

Although later than I anticipated, I did finally see 'The Impossible'. Here is what I thought:

The Impossible

Dir - J A Bayona 

12A, 114 mins

Disaster films have an odd reputation, often merely dismissed as popcorn fodder, so it’s strange to have a film billed as such but to put character and drama over spectacle. Then again, as it’s based on a true story, it’s probably unfair to label ‘The Impossible’ as such a movie because the plight of the characters is at its heart throughout the entire duration. Perhaps this film is best described as a family drama with elements of disaster, then.

     The Boxing Day tsunami was one of those events that put our lives into perspective, and the film achieves the same feat. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts play the parents of three children who decide to spend an exotic Christmas in Thailand. Suitcases are unpacked, presents are exchanged, but the sense of impending disaster is overwhelmingly unsettling. When the inevitable does happen, the following 15 minutes are intense, realistic and terrifying; an onslaught of terrific practical effects and incredible sound design. However, after that concentrated outburst, the drama shifts down a gear to a more intimate, personal level, which is no less frightful.

     That is why this film shines; it’s about the smaller picture. By focusing on the survival of this one family rather than the scale of the event itself, a better, and more human, representation of the disaster is displayed. The performances from the central cast are nothing short of spectacular, especially Tom Holland, the eldest child, who carries the film for a hefty chunk of the running time with a gravitas that many older actors would fail to achieve.

     Many criticisms have been made in the press about the anglicisation of the story; in reality, the family was Spanish.  To me, that seemed to be a decision to globalise this story to the maximum amount of people, a decision that was warranted in my eyes. Thus, the main issue with the film was the score to be unnecessarily overriding in certain scenes, adding an unwanted sentimentality to the film. The scenes which worked best were confrontational, uncompromising and, you guessed it, without a swelling orchestra. Nevertheless, this is a minor gripe considering that this is a film where tears are wholeheartedly justified.

     A realistic, bleak, but ultimately life-affirming film. Although it doesn’t lack spectacle, what is at its core is a harrowing portrayal on the personal effects of a natural disaster, rounded off with terrific performances.